(A) No person shall stop, stand or park any vehicle or equipment except as directed by a police officer or traffic control device in any of the following places:
(1) On a sidewalk;
(2) Within an intersection, or within 20 feet thereof;
(3) On a crosswalk;
(4) Within 30 feet of any flashing beacon, stop sign or traffic control signal;
(5) No vehicle shall park within 50 feet on either side of any street approaching any railroad crossing;
(6) Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction, when the stopping or standing or parking would obstruct traffic;
(7) Upon any bridge or other elevated structure;
(8) Within 15 feet in either direction of the entrance to a hotel, hospital or any public building where the street is so marked;
(9) On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped, standing or parked at the edge or curb of a street;
(10) In front of or having any portion of a vehicle directly across the street from a public or private driveway, except as otherwise provided in this chapter;
(11) In front of any motion picture theater, except bicycles;
(12) Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, or within a designated fire lane;
(13) Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station, or similarly within 75 feet of the entrance where marked;
(14) At any place where signs, yellow painted curb, or similar markings prohibit parking;
(15) Within any designated fire lane; or
(16) On any street where there is less than 15 feet of unobstructed roadway as measured from the side of the vehicle facing the street.
(B) The following shall apply to all off-street parking for property developed for single family detached, duplex, triplex or quadruplex dwelling units:
(1) Front yard parking.
(a) Parking, driveways, and vehicle paths shall be on improved surfaces only.
(b) An improved driveway shall not exceed 25% of the area of the defined front yard unless as paved by concrete or asphalt in one single contiguous driveway, then the driveway area shall be allowed to be expanded to a maximum of 35%. Driveways wide enough to accommodate two parked cars are encouraged.
(c) Passenger vehicles, recreational vehicles, semi-trailer truck (cab only), golf carts, utility trailers, and boats or box trucks of 20 feet in length or less are permitted. All other vehicles or equipment (i.e., heavy equipment, backhoes, tractors, and similar) are prohibited in the front yard.
(d) FRONT YARD is defined as the space extending along the most forward-facing foundation of a building façade or roofed porch of a residential unit and measured outward from the closest corner or edge to meet the side property lines then forward to the meet street or right-of-way of the lot on which the unit is officially addressed or where the front door faces, as determined by the Planning Director.
(2) Side yard.
(a) Parking, driveways, and vehicle paths shall be on improved surfaces only.
(b) Parking of passenger vehicles, recreational vehicles, semi-trailer truck (cab only), golf carts, utility trailers, and boats or box trucks of 20 feet in length or less are permitted.
(c) SIDE YARD is defined as a space measured from foundation of a side façade of a residential unit measured outward to meet the nearest side property line(s) and stopping at the front and rear yards.
(3) Rear yard. No more than one junk vehicle or junk equipment item such as tractor or four wheeler (see also Chapter 91 of this code) may be parked in the rear yard.
(a) Parking in the rear yard is permitted if concealed/screened with evergreen landscaping or minimum six-foot-high solid wood, vinyl, or masonry fencing for all vehicles and equipment from the public right-of-way, and adjacent properties, except as detailed below.
(b) Rear yard required parking screening is not required for working tagged antique vehicles, or rear yard parking on an improved surface such as a driveway.
(c) REAR YARD is defined as the space extending along the most rear- facing façade foundation measured directly outward from the furthest rear edge(s) of a residential unit to meet the side yard property line and backward to meet the rear property boundary.
(4) Vacant lots. Parking of passenger vehicles, recreational vehicles, golf carts, utility trailers, and boats or box trucks of 20 feet in length or less are permitted on vacant lots in residential zoned property as screened and improved under town code or zoning ordinance.
(5) Minimum parking. Minimum of two parking spaces. Each measured a minimum of nine feet by 18 feet.
(6) Maximum number. The maximum number of vehicles and/or equipment allowed to park in the front yard shall be the greater of either of the following options: two or one and a half rounded down per bedroom per property.
(7) Fully enclosed structures. Minimum parking counts shall include fully enclosed garage structures, so long as the roll out trash cans have an area to be stored aside from a parking space. The maximum parking count shall exempt vehicles in fully enclosed garage structures.
(C) For purposes of this section, IMPROVED means surfaced with concrete, asphalt, gravel or any other material commonly used for the parking of vehicles, but not including grass or dirt.
(D) This section adopts the U.S. Department of Transportation definition of passenger vehicle to mean cars and trucks used for passengers; the term here excludes buses, commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles and trains.
(E) The prohibitions of this section shall not apply:
(1) In conjunction with special events involving family or social gatherings, provided such events do not occur more frequently than once a month; except for weekly Sunday church events, and provided the town is made aware and confirms the event prior; or
(2) To emergency and public service vehicles whose operators are performing services for which they are responsible, nor do these prohibitions apply to vehicles belonging to persons under contract with the city to perform a public service.
(1995 Code, § 40-139) (Ord. 12, passed 1-11-2000; Ord. 2004-02, passed 9-14-2004; Ord. 2007-02, passed 6-12-2007; Ord. 2018-01, passed 6-12-2018) Penalty, see § 72.99
Statutory reference:
Parking in front of fire hydrants and the like, see G.S. § 20-162